Almost perfect
by Dr.Deezy
Summary: Alex Terment is chosen as one of the goddess of death's champions to fight in a war that has nothing to do with him in a world he knows nothing about.
1. Chapter 1

Notes before reading: this story is very important to me and very straightforward about it's themes. I really wanted to do this the way I wanted to do it and that ended up meaning this story is going to be riddled with dark themes and edgy subject matter. Readers can expect to see language, death, drug use, extreme violence, and situations that could make the reader otherwise uncomfortable. If you are not ready to read about these types of things I suggest you read something else though I hope you still give this a chance. Being that this story is so intricate and long the beginning may seem really slow, I apologize for that. I know it takes a while to get into the more interesting part of the story but this is only book one of what will end up being at least a 5 part series. Anyways enjoy, any and all feedback is welcome!

I keep having this dream. It starts with me and this girl. I've never seen her before in real life but I know her... She seems so familiar. We're sitting on a roof holding hands laughing at nothing. She looks at me with her big grey eyes and I brush her hair to the side before kissing her forehead.

"I love you." She would say. My heart would skip a beat, as if I had been waiting forever for her to say that.

Everything goes black. I'm all alone, standing in pure darkness everything is empty. A vacuum. Suddenly, the silence changes to a roar. I am no longer standing alone, a crowd surrounds me. There were easily a hundred people all staring at me, yelling my name. Aggressively fighting each other for my attention. I care not for the mob. I ignore them. Where was she? An echo of her voice can be heard over the crowd. The same three words repeat, louder each time. The tone of her voice never changes though, she sounds sweet and caring. The crowd disappears and I am alone in the darkness again. I hear her voice one last time.

"I love you."

CHAPTER 1

I woke up in a cold sweat. My head hurt, as it always did after that dream. I was having it once a week at this point. I don't know what it means, who she is or why I feel this way about her. I am in a relationship. Been going strong with my girlfriend for two years now. I love her unconditionally but I can't help but have feelings for this girl, this figment of my imagination. I'm sure she doesn't exist. She can't. No one is that perfect.

She's short with pure black hair. She has a perfect hour glass figure with curves in all the right places. She has deep beautiful grey eyes, and the bangs of her hair frame them perfectly. She always has a black cloak and tight black pants on. Her gaze cuts right through me as if she could see my entire past. Every mistake I've ever made laid out in front of her and she loves me despite this. Every time I have this dream I find myself falling harder for her.

I got ready for my day and decided to head down stairs.

"What up Fucker?" My roommate Kyle yelled at me from the kitchen table.

"Morning Alex." My sister says from the seat beside him. Half greeting me half correcting kyle on how to greet some one. They don't get along very well and they never have, I always thought of them as exact opposites like oil and water. My twin sister Ashley is meek and proper and quiet. Where Kyle is loud and improper and confident. Its almost like they were made to never get along. "Breakfast is made," she offered. "Kyle got high and drank all the milk though."she added angrily.

" Hey guys." I responded groggily.

"You look like death." Kyle said observantly.

"And you look like a bleached asshole." I said.

"ALEX!" Ashley yelled at me. Kyle burst out laughing, almost spilling his tray of weed on his lap. Kyle and I both smoke entirely too much weed. He sells out of our house and always has an abundance so we might as well. "What are you laughing at?" She turned her attention to Kyle. Ashley always gets upset at our inappropriate humour. Our dad made her take etiquette classes a few years back and it had a permanent impact.

"Chill." I say as I grabbed a piece of bacon and one of Kyle's nugs off of the table."I'm gonna head out. You two place nice."

"Aw bro. C'mon burn one with me first" Kyle pleaded.

"Nah man I don't wanna be late" I walk out of the kitchen and stepped over Kyle's mess in the living room. He'd been staying on our couch for about a year now and I've never known him once to pick up his shit.

"Have a good day Alex!" Ashley called out as I left "And tell Arty hi for me!"

I got to my girlfriend's house at about ten. I always spent my Saturdays there. Kyle likes to say I live on too tight of a schedule. I tend to do things exactly as I plan to exactly when I plan to all the time. Whatever though, it works for me.

"Hey Dumbass!" My girlfriend shouts as she tackles me off of her porch. Arty is tall and radiantly beautiful. Her golden blonde hair extends past the small of her back and is always perfect and straight. Her bright blue eyes cut through my peripheral when I look up from her yard where I now lay. Her embrace and affection almost made hitting the ground not hurt. She started pecking my face with a flurry of kisses while I tried to sit up. She's quirky and full of energy almost directly opposing my generally serious attitude. I'm too busy to be laid back like the people I chose to acquaint myself with. I'm the captain of my school's varsity football team. I also participate in the kendo club and a magic the gathering tournament group. Keeping up with all of that a girlfriend and trying to sleep usually fucks with me. Might explain my dreams.

"Arty, babe." I said happily while nudging her away. The sooner we got inside the sooner I'd let her resume her affection so I tried to move things along. "I brought you some Treah* " I pulled out a pouch of drink mix and motioned toward her house. She was obsessed with this Treah shit. It's a name brand drink mix made like tea you boil the water and add the mix. It's been increasingly popular recently, though I've never liked it. She yanked the pouch out of my hand and ran inside without a word. "No quicker way to your heart than sweets." I said playfully.

"No quicker way into my pants than sweets." She corrected me as I followed her into her house. Being the only 17 year old I know with a full time job she's probably the most self sufficient person I know. She actually owns this house herself and is completely independent despite her age. It's a quaint one bedroom with one bath and very little furniture. She does have a couch a bed and a TV though. By the time I walked in she was already in the kitchen starting her kettle for her drink.

I sat down and turned her active TV off. I pulled my small metal pipe named ratchet out of my pocket and loaded the small nug of weed from this morning. "Brought me something?" She said as she came in and sat next to me. I take a toke from my pipe ratchet and lean in close to Arty and we kiss as I pass the hit to her. She coughs out the hit.

"So are you going up to the mountains? Everyone's gonna be there." I ask referring to the upcoming ski trip our class was going to.

"Yeah and publicly humiliate myself when I fall on my ass?" She responded harshly.

"Sorry, I just thought we would have fun." My words fell through the air as if they weren't said.

"Besides I'm ging to be out of town then." She shrugs her shoulders as she says this. " My granny won't have anyone to take care of her for four days. I'm going to the springs for a while." She leaned over and kissed me on the forehead and took my pipe out of my hands. "Sorry dumbass." She takes a hit from ratchet, leans over and kisses me passing me her hit. "You're going to have kyle there though. Go have fun!" I exhale and she kisses me on the cheek again.

" You're right. You're missing out though." I said.

"Are you ok?" She asked concerned. " Is there something on your mind?"

" I had the dream again..." I trailed off.

"Oh is that it?" She ran her hand up my leg toward my zipper. " I can get your mind off of that really easily."

The next Monday I met up with Kyle and Arty at the school cafeteria for lunch. The three of us usually ate together with Ashley and one of her friends but the two of them were nowhere to be found.

"Can't you use your twin telepathy?" Kyle asked from across the table. "I heard twins can sense eachother That their linked mentally and can always find each other."

"Oh shut up friend. We aren't even identical plus all of that's made up anyway." I respond defensively. Its always those closest to you that bully you the most.

"What if it is true? You'll never know if you don't try. Come on call out to her!" Arty jumped in with him. "Plus I've never met anyone with crazy red hair like the two of you have. The shade of blood. There must be something special about you!"

"Still haven't figured out what? We've been together for two years now. What don't you know about me by now?" I ask confused.

" You're mysterious without even trying to be. Maybe that's why I love you." She said smiling at me. Kyle made gagging motions across the table.

"And when the mystery runs out?" I asked.

"Let's hope it doesn't." She said as if challenging me. She stared me dead in the eyes and Kyle looked away and ate his lunch minding his own business. She then smiled and dropped her gaze as if this were all just a joke. "Don't be a dumbass. I love you."

" What's going on guys?" Tyler Trettz stood behind Kyle. He was a classmate of ours who was a stickler for the rules. He was a douche and he hated Kyle. He stood six feet tall and had semi-long dark brown hair. He has a skimpy mustache and too many muscles for his own good. Tyler trained with a military facility for three years though and even I am a little intimidated to take him on. We all go quiet when he walked up. " So Kyle, I smell something illegal. You aren't holding are you?"

"Not today Titfuck. I left it at home." He said smirking.

" And what's stopping me from calling a teacher over here and having you searched to call your bluff?" Tyler said snobbily.

"What's stopping you from fucking yourself homie?" Kyle yelled and stood up opposite from Tyler.

"Your a junior in high school Tyler grow up." Arty added. "Telling on people will get you nowhere."

"Plus I'll kick your ass." I throw in for extra measure. I take a bite of my food and look away confidently. I don't get in fights often but I've never lost one and don't plan to any time soon.

" Well aren't you doing that tonight anyway Alex?" Tyler asked.

" What are you talking about?" I responded.

" Kendo club tonight. It's going to finally be our match. The winner gets a chance at Mike." I knew exactly what he was talking about. I was new to this club but I have a perfect record so far and my next two matches are crucial to my progression in rank. Only one of the two of us can face Mike and after he's beaten the victor will be recognized as a master along with the other alumni of the club. I have to be an alumni for my senior year next year. I gaze over at Tyler intensely."I wanted to place a friendly wager on our match."

"Go on." I said. He had my attention.

"You really gonna listen to this kid Alex?" Kyle asked. I raised my hand to signal him to quiet.

" If I win this match today I want you to leave Kendo club for good!" Tyler yelled dramatically.

"Why would I do that ?" Tyler takes a sword and places it on the table.

"An original Masamunay. Durable and over a century old. Perfectly usable as decoration or for active combat. It's lightweight and one hundred percent your style. All yours if you beat me tonight. But if I do manage to beat you, you must quit the team and never return!"

"Deal." I said matter-of-factly.

"That's it?" Kyle asked confused. "Deal?" He looked at Tyler who was picking his sword up from our table.

"Thank you. I will see you tonight." He bowed to me before starting to walk away.

"Weirdo. " Arty called to him as he left. Kyle's sat back down and looked at me with exasperation.

"Why Alex, why do you humor him?" He asked with way too much stress.

"It amuses me."

"What if you lose?" He asked.

"He won't ." Arty responded for me.

" If I lose I'll just have more free time." I said shrugging off the whole ordeal. "I'll survive without Kendo."

"It was a nice sword though." Art said while placing her hand on my thigh, nodding to Kyle smirking. "Bet you he payed top dollar." She added before taking a bite of her food.

"Why? What's his problem with you that's so bad he'd bet something like that just to get you to leave?" Kyle asked in an irritated tone.

"It's not about me quitting kendo. It's about shaming me and proving he's better than me." I look down at my food. "Tyler isn't just some asshole he follows a code of honor. It's what he was taught in boot camp and from his father." I said putting emphasis on the words 'boot camp'. Tyler's dad served as one of the most disciplined and well groomed soldiers in e united states until he got his leg blown off. Now he's just an old drunk. " He just wants to prove to everyone that he's better than them by being better than me."

"Creep." Kyle said looking in the direction Tyler left in. The rest of the school day was uneventful. And went by too slowly with all the anticipation for tonight's match. I fell asleep in English, which is my last class of the day. Then I had to run half awake to Kendo. Once I got there I noticed a much bigger crowd than I anticipated. I guess word got out that this was happening. 'Jock against Soldier' they shouted waiting. I scan the room and find Kyle sitting on the bottom row of the bleachers. Before I can go to say hi I'm cut off by James our club president.

"Oh you look like death." He said concerned. Why is that the go to phrase to describe me right after I woke up?

"Everyone says that."

"Are you ready? Can you win?" He asked at a high volume, speaking over the crowd of students in the bleachers.

"Not yet." I said honestly while looking away from him, surveying the crowd. "Where's my girls?" I scanned the entire gymnasium until I finally caught them with the corner of my eye. Arty and Ashley were in line for snacks. But since when are there concessions open for a small kendo match? James grabs both of my shoulders and faces me back toward him.

"You don't have time to talk to them. Go get dressed" Arty looked at me with a big smile and waved as he said this.I smiled and nodded at her then went to get ready.

The crowd flared up as I came back into the gym. At this point all of the bets were placed. The people had decided to split onto sides of the gymnasium according to who they were rooting for like in a basketball game. The ones who thought would win along with Kyle, Ashley, and Arty were on the side closest to where I entered from, and those who supported Tyler were on the bleachers on the far side. My side was littered with red signs that read 'JOCK' signifying that yes I am on the football team. I guess they were all red due to my hair color? I didn't know so many people cared about kendo.

I picked up my wooden sword and stood across from Tyler on the 'arena' the club made from a mat. James stood between us holding our wooden swords together. "Tyler Trettz against Alex Terment, each contact is one point and this is a five point match. No headshots or nutshots. Ready?" He looked us both dead in the eye. We nodded in confirmation. "Fight!" He said letting go of our sticks and jumping out of the way.

The match started quickly, right as James was out of the way Tyler's first motion was circular. Trying to dissarm me right off the bat. My only reaction was to tighten my grip and step aside. Tyler lunged forward as I stepped and nearly hit my chest before I whipped around hit his sword down. Now that I was at his side I had a second to collect my thoughts.

My first real sword. I win this and I get a real blade. My entire life I've accomplished everything I've set my mind to. I'm naturally talented at art, sports, math, music. But to wield a sword is my dream. My father never let me, claiming their dangerous and not useful in real combat anymore. But ever since I was a young boy I've been fascinated by things like samurai and knights.

As my mind trails I look up to see myself sitting on the ground, a sharp pain in my ass and shin. "Point Trettz" James announced. He must have swept my feet. I can't let myself get distracted like that. I stand up and hold up my kendo stick.

"That hurt Alex?" Tyler said pointing his kendo stick at me. He was boasting and cocky, now would be a great time to make him look stupid. I circle around him but he doesn't take his eyes off of me or lower his guard for a second.I swing right and he deflects, I swing left and he deflects. I come from an angle and he deflects. A rhythm is made with our swings. Every time I attack he bats me away like a child. All of his deflections are twice as strong as my attacks and he blocks as if he already knows where I'm going to come from. I know I've got this.

I tightened my grip on the hilt of my wooden sword with both of my hands and take a deep breath. The two of us lock eyes as we circle around each other. The entire crowd grew silent. I jump forward with an over head strike and missed by an inch. He sidestepped and slammed the hilt of his stick into my stomach so hard I almost threw up in front of everyone.I fell down to my hands and dropped my fake sword. It felt like the world paused for a solid minute. I couldn't see or hear anything.

"Fuck!" Kyle interrupted the dead silence. The shock of his response broke me from my trance. The crowd went insane as I forced myself onto my feet. Of coarse I can take a hit I get wrecked on the football field every day. Still though, Tyler hits like he benches wildebeests.

"Can you continue?" James asked from the sideline.

"Yeah." I squeezed out, even though my voice felt broken.I leaned over and picked up my kendo stick.

"Very well. Point Trettz!" He yelled loud enough for the now muttering crowd to hear. He looked and nodded at each of us separately. "You may proceed." I stand still and watch Tyler's movements. My vision was blurry, like everything is just color and shapes. I love when this happens. I felt a rush of adrenaline push through my body. Tyler stepped forward and swung. I let his stick glide across mine as I blocked with it I punched him in the face with my left.

Tyler fell to the ground and drooped his kendo stick. He looked up angry and then darts his gaze to James. "Is that legal?"

"Yes and no." He shrugged his shoulders. "But you weren't penalized for your hit earlier either. Point Terment!" Tyler got back onto his feet and scoffed at me.

"That was dirty and you know it." He said sounding offended.

Tyler ran at me full speed and I gripped my kendo stick steadying myself. I had to be ready for anything. One more point and he wins. I had one chance and I couldn't let this adraneline rush die. I moved without thinking and went in stabbing. My stick was heading straight for his face and I could see him wince right as he barely reflected it at the last second. My body knew what to do though, when he hit my sword away it gave me momentum and I twisted around with it and slammed the kendo stick across his chest. He took two steps back and clutched his chest and gasped.

"Point Terment." James called out, I looked over at him distracted and Tyler came at me full force. I lifted my kendo stick to block and Tyler's kendo stick came crashing down on it. I didn't let go and I felt a ripple of pain travel up my arm as my kendo stick broke in half wood splinters flew to the ground. I saw Tyler dropping his kendo stick. He must have expected this about as much as I had but I only had one shot and I took it. I caught it with my now numb arm and hit him in the shoulder with it.

"Game point Terment."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Two weeks later.

I had the dream again last night. I woke up startled. My sister is down stairs yelling at Kyle about cleaning his mess. Took a quick glance around my room. It was a wreck, in the corner by the door sat a bag I stuffed last night for the big trip the majority of my class and I are going to the powder horn ski resort in Colorado . I walked across my room to my bathroom. Its cramped and littered with junk. I washed my face and looked up into the mirror. My red hair was a mess but i threw a beanie on and tucked my bangs in instead of brushing it since my brush is already packed.

Once i got downstairs to the kitchen I found a note on the fridge from my father. It read:

'Dear Ax and Ash,

Uncle Mike and I are leaving for a while, we won't return for a couple

weeks. There are a couple hundred for food and anything else you

need on top of the fridge. Don't give any of it to Kyle. Have fun on

your ski trip kids I should be back sooner than you know it! Take care

of yourselves!

Love you,

Dad. '

Couple of weeks? That's ridiculous. I thought when I reached on top of the fridge to retrieve whatever money was left there. My eyes widened when I looked at the cash in my hand. So much. Soo much. I counted fourteen hundred dollars in total. Dad obviously meant to be gone longer than he led on. What kind of father just vanishes like this? Not that he hasn't done it before. My dad has made a habit of only being here enough for us to know he's not dead like our mom. At least he's taught us proper money management in the process. You only need to not eat for a week one time to learn a lesson from it.

"Morning bro." Ashley said cheerfully as she entered the room. Her voice obviously worn from yelling at kyle earlier. She walked past me carrying a tall stack of plates from the living room where kyle sleeps. This is how it usually happens, he makes a mess, we get mad, then we clean it. Two thirds of the time 'we' is Ashley. She set the stack of dishes by the sink and turned toward me.

"Did you see this?" I asked her angrily, shaking the note in her direction. She looked down and grabbed her elbow nervously.

"I did..." She trailed off. I crumbled the note up in my hand and sighed."How much?"

"Fourteen hundred, its the most he's left yet." I responded.

"Then he'll be gone longer this time." Her voice cracked a little. "I'll be at Lucy's house for a week or so once we get back from the resort. You can hold onto all of that for now." She ran upstairs trying to hide her tears from me. She's really attached to dad. She always has been, they bonded a lot deeper than he and I did. I was his son but she was his princess. I rather it this way though.

My best friend Kyle sells weed out of our living room and pays to stay here by keeping food in the house with his profit. We usually end up wasting the money dad gives us in a week or two so without kyle all three of us would probably starve. He's the most responsible irresponsible person I've ever met.

I came into the living room and sat down next to him on the couch. Kyle's short dark blonde hair was sticking out of the backwards baseball cap he was wearing. He had an all black hoodie on and a rolled blunt was pinned behind his ear. His eyes were bloodshot and he slowly looked over at me." Your sister can be a bitch." He smirked.

"Are you ready for the snow?" I asked genuinely curious if he had packed yet. "You know the bus leaves the school in two hours right?"

"Just the essentials." He said and nodded to a small backpack on the ground by the couch. I would guess that the only things in there are one spare change of clothes and paraphanelia. He pulled the blunt from his ear and lit it. "Is Lucy gonna be at the resort?" Kyle asked. He's always had a thing for Ashley's friends.

"Yeah, pretty sure she's sharing a room with Ashley." I answered. "Girl creeps me out though. I'd say keep your distance." I warned him. Lucy is pretty weird despite being cute. Her short blonde hair and bright pink clothes she usually wears can be misleading. She's really obsessive and a borderline stalker. I remember when she was younger she would sneak all the way from her house into our house in the middle of the night, and crawl into Ashley's bed. Ashley says she's just dependant but it freaks me out.

"I'm just saying," he hit the blunt between his words." I would not pass up an opertunity to be with her." He said smugly and passed me the blunt.

"BE WITH HER? Or just have sex with her?" I hit the blunt, then took my phone out to see that I missed several calls from Arty.

"Of coarse I just mean sex. The crazy ones are the best in bed!" He smiled as I passed him the blunt.

"You guys are pigs."Ashley said from the kitchen doorway. Her hair was done in little red pigtails and she had a black scarf on over her jacket. She had her purse and a large pushable suitcase with wheels at the bottom. It was twice the size of my bag so I could tell she really wasn't coming home for a while after this trip. Why would she though? I'm never home and Kyle pisses her off. I could hear Lucy honk her car horn from outside.

" Does that make your friend the troph?" He laughed. She stormed past us punching him on her way out the door. "What?" He asked as if he didn't know he was making an ass of himself. Kyle had a habit of not knowing when to not make jokes. He says anything he can think of to entertain himself.

"Don't be a dick dude, she doesn't like you talking like that." I lectured. "Especially about her friend. That's disrespectful." He passes me the blunt and makes an exasperated face at me.

"I'm not the one screaming all the time. And I've lived here for two and a half years now how is she not used to me yet? " He got up and threw his backpack on. "Come on let's go. We can stop for burgers on our way out, my treat."

We got to school, where the bus was leaving from about ten minutes early. I started texting Arty right when we got there. Me and Kyle sat separated from the crowd still pretty high. We knew if we stumbled through everyone to look for Ashley we'd end up bumping into Tyler, or someone else who would be able to tell we were high.

I had my headphones in and I was just looking around the outside commons area where everyone going on the trip had gathered. All of the juniors and seniors this year were invited so the crowd was pretty thick. I could speratically pick out people I recognized. James from the kendo club was here so were members of my MTG group and the football team but I chose not to talk to anyone. We had plenty of time for that during our five day trip. Kyle elbowed me to get my attention so I took out my headphones.

"Here." He said handing me a muffin. "If you eat this now you'll be out for the whole drive."

"Whole drive?" I said surprised. " Its a thirteen hour bus trip?"

"It's an edible Alex." He pulled out a bag of about five more. "I baked them the other day and made them way too strong." One of our female classmates walked up to us and motioned toward Kyle.

"Twenty a piece right?" She pulled a twenty dollar bill out of her bra. She didn't seem to mind that we were surrounded by people. Then again neither did he. Kyle pulled a muffin out other bag and traded off with her. She then ran off and rejoined her friends.

"Your a natural entrepreneur." I commented sarcastically.

"My father taught me that everything i do is an oppertunity to make money." He grinned.

"You hate your father." He laughed at my response.

"I've learned that the people you hate are the easiest to learn from." He chuckled some more. I nodded in agreement and put my headphones back in then pressed play on my music. The bus pulled up and everyone filed into a line to board. We caught a glimpse of Tyler long enough for him and Kyle to lock eyes for a second, but we ended up on a different bus than him and my sister. The trip was pretty uneventful, I slept through most of it.

The next day I woke up in my room in the resort. I was half asleep coming into the room so I don't remember the layout of the resort yet leaving me a lot of exploring to do today. Kyle laid still asleep in the bed on the opposite side of the room. He already had his bag unzipped and his things littered throughout the room. A quick scan of those objects and I found almost none of them were supposed to be allowed on this trip. There's a bong, a pipe, weed and - wait. My sword hung half out of his bag.

"KYLE!" I yelled as I yanked the blanket out from under him, toppling him onto the floor waking him.

"Huh? What?" He muttered sitting up on the floor.

"You brought my sword?" I asked angrily, grabbing it up out of his bag.

"Dope right?" He seemed to ignore my tone.

"Nah. Not dope." I scoffed at him and picked my phone up off of its charger.

"I thought you might need it." He said clueless standing up and grabbing his jacket. I opened up my phone to see a couple texts from Arty, and one from Ashley.

"Why would I need a sword?" I asked.

" I don't know, what if shit hits the fan?" He shrugged and we both put on our jackets. I slung the sword over my shoulder. Might as well have it I didn't see why not at this point. I opened up the message from Ashley, it read: ' Hey bro, the first lift up leaves at 9:30 and Lucy and I are gonna try out the slopes. You should meet us there!' I sent a quick 'Ok, on my way' and Kyle and I went out and rented our supplies before heading up to the lift.

It was really cold outside and the bright sun reflecting off of the glistening white snow can take a minute to adjust to but the Mesa in the morning was beautiful. We got to the lift a little late but Ashley and Lucy were still there waiting on us. We got there and my sister gave me a hug while Alex and Lucy awkwardly nod at each other.

"Sorry we're late." Kyle said.

"Oh it's Ok. I got some one on one time with Ashy!" She said excitedly. I made a judgemental face at Ashley and she shrugged in response.

"Once we get up there I heard they have rudimentary lessons for newbies." Ashley pointed out. "We can get the basics down before we take on the bigger slopes." She added.

"I think I'll pass on that." I said scratching the back of my head. "I just don't find the thought of a seasoned athlete repeating the words 'pizza French fry" over and over again appealing. I'm alright with falling until I get the hang of it myself."

"Kyle!" The girl from yesterday yelled out to kyle from a distance running toward us waving her hand. She's a cute girl. Sierra I think her name was. I had seen her hanging out with him a couple times before. She's a tall slender African american girl with poofy curly hair and a big smile. She's wearing Capri's despite being surrounded by snow and was wearing a knitted panda beanie. She was a known stoner and was exactly Kyle's type.

"Hey what's up?" He turned to her.

"You wanna blaze man?" She blurted out. I could see Lucy and Ashley get irritated by the mentioning of the subject. They were both good girls, never once partook in taboo things such as drugs. Kyle pulled a pre-rolled joint out and started to walk away.

"Always. You got a light?" She pulled a lighter out from her bra. He turned around toward us and said " Alright guys I'm gonna ride a lift up with her you have a good time." Before walking away with her. Good for him.

"I don't like him." Lucy said as he left.

"Give him a break, he's a nice guy" I said guiding her and Ashley toward an on coming lift. " He just forgets what that means sometimes." The lift comes by and the three of us hop onto it. We rode in silence up to the top and split up. They went to the guy for lessons but I was strapped in ready to ski. I got to the send off point and was met with unwelcome company. Tyler stood there ready to go down with his entourage of douchebags. They were going to mind their own business and go down the slope until he saw me. He trounced up to me in his bulky skis and took off his goggles.

"Hey Terment. I see your ready to go downhill." He said smugly while sizing me up. " I see you have my sword with you." He glared me in the eye.

"This is my sword I won it fair and square." I stared him right back in the eye. Tyler was big but I had been hit by bigger.

"Is that why you have it with you now?" He snarled. "To rub that in my face?" He stood way too close to me and stared down. I'm not going to lie I was intimidated. Tyler trained hard for years in his military family. He's consistently been the strongest and fastest in our school except for me. His three friends started circling me like sharks.

" Look do you want it back? Because you lost it. If you want it you'll have to win it back." I said sternly. I don't know what it is about this kid that riles me up so much.

"Ok." He smiled big. " whoever makes it down to the bottom first wins. And if that's me I win my sword back." He put his goggles back on.

"What if I win?" I asked in a serious tone.

"If you win I'll give you thirty dollars. That sound fair?" I had a lot more than that on my person but I didn't care. I was gonna show this asshole up again.

"That's fine." A couple seconds later we were off, bolting down the mesa at top speed. I couldn't tell what was happening. Everything flew past me in a blur. I could tell I was losing but he hadn't fully passed me yet. Tyler stayed close and watched me struggle to evade the trees and stones. Everything seemed white. Tyler laughed at me before spraying me with snow as he cut across me. I almost lost my balance and covered my eyes with my arm. I was kind of flying out of control but I was going fast. I hit a rock and flew past Tyler and ate dirt at the bottom of the slope. I had won, it hurt but I won.

" God damnit!" Tyler yelled as he took his goggles off and threw them to the ground angrily. He took a twenty and a ten out of his pocket and extended his arm out to give it to me."Here, I'm a man of my word."

"No." I pushed his hand to the side. " I don't want it. I had fun, that's reward enough." I took the sword off of my shoulder and offered it up to him. "You can have this back just don't be such a dick all the time." He put his hands up to turn down my offer with a nervous look on his face.

"You're right I lost it fair and square. I'll win it back from you some day." He put a hand behind his head and actually smiled. "Yaknow your an Ok guy Alex." He walked off immediately after saying that. I smiled hoping this to be the start of a new friendship. I didn't like him at first but I've always thought that there was a little good in everyone, though I wouldnt keep thinking that way for long.

I ended up meeting up with Ashley and Lucy again shortly after that. We all went down the slope a couple of times and had a lot of fun. At a later point in the day I got scooped up by the football team and they made me go down a couple of times. By the time it got dark I was exhausted. I didn't realise I didn't eat today until I was on my way back inside. I got into the resort and bought way too much food before going to my room with it.

I expected to be greeted by Kyle when I came into our room but instead found a note on his bed. It said he was going to stay in Sierra's room tonight. Under the note sat two blunts and another muffin that he presumably left for me. I turned the resort room TV on and lit up a blunt. I, between hits grabbed my sword and pulled it out of its sheath. An original Masamunay katana huh? These things are rare and all custom made, so they don't hold much monetary value. Masamunay was a sword smith sentenced to death for testing out all of his blades. He had a documented kill count of at least seventeen but there were over one hundred and fifty swords forged throughout his career and he claimed to have 'tested' all of them. So this sword has already taken a life? I pondered. The longer I look at the sharp blade the more it looked back. I saw my reflection on the metal, my red hair looked like blood on the edge. I quickly resheathed my blade and put out my blunt, then went to sleep.

I stood in a field, large and green. The back drop was a perfect blue sky with exactly one cloud. The sun shined without interruption and the wind whisked my hair behind my ears. I was overtaken by the feeling of calm and I laid down in the tall grass to look up at the sky. I inhaled slowly and let out a gruntled sigh as I outstretched my arms to the heavens. I cupped my hands so as to make it look to me like I was holding the lone cloud. I smiled and hummed a tune that I don't remember hearing before. I heard footsteps and then my view was obstructed by the shadow of someone standing over me.

"You seem to have made yourself comfortable." Her voice rang in my ears as I tried to process what was happening. I tilted my head back to see who the familiar voice was coming from and saw her grey eyes. It was the girl from my dreams. I jolted upright embarrassed. She sat down by me and put her hand on my shoulder and I blushed. I was dreaming right? All of my dreams with her before weren't so vivid. I couldn't smell, taste, or feel her presence before. I could FEEL her hand on my shoulder. I turned to her and she smiled and closed her eyes. "Are you afraid of me hero?" She asked and I turned away embarrassed. "That is one thing you cannot do, I'm afraid." She said more seriously. "You can't fear anything. Ever." She cupped her other hand over my cheek. I shuddered. "Promise me this." I didn't know if that was a promise I could make. I opened up my mouth to speak but could not find the words.

"I -I" My attempt to respond was cut brutally short as I woke up in the room I shared with Kyle. Ashley was outside banging on the door trying to wake me. I picked up my phone and looked at it to see her and kyle had blown me up with messages. There was a class wide race where everyone, including her, Tyler, Kyle, and various other classmates of mine. Lucy kept falling when she was learning however, and she and a couple others decided to not participate.

"C'MON BROTHER WE ARE GOING TO MISS IT! " Ashley was screaming as I opened the door ready to go, sword and all. We dashed down the stairs and jumped on the first lift we saw it brought us up and we made it just in time for the line up. There were a few exchanges between classmates. Tyler's friends were all three lined up next to him and he was on the opposite side of the line from Ashley and I. I could tell that the course was not meant for this many people at one time so a lot of us will end up hugging the shoulders and running into trees. Kyle came in and squeezed between Ashley and I at the last second. He looked over at me, then pulled his scarf down low enough for me to see a hickey on his neck. Ashley almost dropped one of her skiing sticks in aw. Right as she was about to outburst in anger the starting pistol went off.

The race was a blur. More so than when I raced Tyler the day before. I took off immediately taking the lead. I glided past Tyler who was in second place and then got a hefty lead on the whole group. I was a natural and felt a swell of pride in my chest. Then suddenly, Ashley flew past me at twice my speed hurling me to the ground. My momentum and angle kept me rolling and my head bounced off of a rock on the ground before the whir of white snow and red blood in my peripheral mixed together. I heard a muffled 'Alex!' from who must have been Tyler and then stopped rolling and hit a slab of concrete.

I struggled to open my eyes through the stream of blood coming down my face. It wasn't enough to worry about bleeding out but there was a gash on my forehead that was leaking into my eyes. I forced my self to sit up and wipe my face off a little, then took off my jacket, balled it up, then pushed it against my wound to soak up the blood. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. First I looked at myself, gauged my wounds. Other than the bigger than preferred head wound there are only minor scratches and bruises. My chest hurt, but mainly from impact with the concrete.

Concrete? I looked around. I was sitting in what looked like an old shrine room. I fell through the roof which must have been built into the mountain. I looked up to see my entry hole in the wooden roof. There were murals on the walls of characters resembling gods from the myths I heard about when I was young. Zeus god of lightning, Rah god of the sun, Odin the all father, and others. There was something odd about this though. The mural depicted them interacting with eachother as if they were all gods from the same religion. It looked like a mythological fan fiction. In the center of the room was a stone monolith with strange symbols inscribed all over it.

When I looked at it my eyes locked.I could not even force myself to look away. It started to glow. The next thing I knew I was on my feet. I discarded the jacket and let the blood resume obscuring my vision as I walked up to the stone.

"Alex?! Are you Ok!?" Tyler called down into the shrine room from where I fell in but I ignored him. I placed my hand on the monolith and it glowed brighter. A powerful wind surrounded my body then everything flashed white.


End file.
